Address:
325 S. Melrose Drive, Ste. 200
Vista, CA 92081
Phone:
760-936-0014
There are several methods for depositing money on an inmate's account:
1. To send money online to an inmate in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility use Touchpay money deposits. support@touchpaydirect.com
2. If you have any questions you can email them at support@touchpaydirect. They do not take calls.
3. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card using a dedicated kiosk for this purpose. The machine is located in the lobby or visitation area of the San Diego Vista Detention Facility.
4. The San Diego Vista Detention Facility may also allow you to *mail an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the San Diego County Sheriff's Office, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check. To confirm this option call the facility at 760-936-0014.
*When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate, unless the facility allows it. Never send personal checks or cash.
5. The San Diego Vista Detention Facility has a reception desk that may accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Call 760-936-0014 to find out the specific hours for drop off times.
Option 1 - Dropping Money at the Jail
Bring money to the jail in person.
You will use a Touchpay self-serve kiosk in the lobbies that accepts cash, debit or credit cards.
Option 2 - Deposit Inmate Money Online
San Diego Vista Detention Facility uses Touchpay to process all online deposits to an inmate's account. The company charges you a small fee for doing so, but the fee probably isn't as much as gas and parking would cost to take it to the jail in person.
Option 3 - Mail the Inmate Deposit to the Jail
Mailing a deposit takes more time to process than the other methods but can be done if you live too far away to bring it in person and you don't have a debit/credit card for online deposits. Never send cash. Always send a Money Order from the US Post Office, a reputable bank or Western Union.
NOTE: Call the San Diego Vista Detention Facility at 760-936-0014 to see if they are still allowing money orders to be mailed.
Option 4 - Make an Inmate Deposit over the Phone by calling Touchpay at 866-232-1899.
To do this you will need the inmate's offender # (inmate ID #), full legal name, and Facility Locator Number. Call 760-936-0014 to get the Facility Locator Number.
Friends and family of inmates in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility can purchase commissary online and have that shipped directly to an inmate.
Commissary items range from snacks to hygeine products to stationary. You can even deposit money so that your inmate can purchase their own items.
How do I send money to an inmate in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility?
Who are the companies that jails use to send money to inmates?
How do I send money by mail to an inmate in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility?
Can I send an inmate money using the internet?
What are considered ‘inmate funds’?
How much money can an inmate have in their account while in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility?
How much money can I send an inmate at one time?
Is it illegal for an inmate in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility to have cash?
If an inmate can’t have cash in jail, how do they purchase contraband or gamble?
What are things inmates use or trade in lieu of cash?
What kind of food can an inmate purchase on Commissary in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility?
What items can inmates purchase in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility?
Important tips about sending money to an inmate in the San Diego Vista Detention Facility
San Diego Vista Detention Facility has its own methods for receiving money for inmates, and that information can be found above or by calling 760-936-0014 and asking, however all jails and prisons all receive money for an inmate’s trust and commissary account, as well as an account used for communications, pretty much the same way.
1. Mailing an inmate a money order or cashier’s check from a trusted source such as the Post Office, a local bank, or Western Union. The Money order should be be made out to either the inmate or the facility, with the inmate’s name and ID# on the memo line of the check.
When mailing a money order or cashier’s check, send it an envelope by itself. Never send it with a letter or photos for your inmate.
Never send personal checks or cash either.
2. Deposit cash or use a debit or credit card to send an inmate money using an ATM machine that is located in the lobby or visitation area of the San Diego Vista Detention Facility.
3. Some jails have a reception desk or booth that is open during certain hours that they will list on their website. They will accept cash, money orders or cashier checks. Other facilities that don’t have a human manning the desk will have mail drop where you can leave a money order or check. No cash can be left in these boxes.
4. There are multiple companies that jails and prisons contract with which accept inmate deposits online, by mail or over the phone, or even in ATM machines you can find in check cashing stores and retail outlets across the country.
If one of these companies (listed in the next question) works with San Diego Vista Detention Facility, this information will be outlined at the top of this page.
There are many companies competing for the accounts of jail and prison inmates. Their intention is to alleviate the staffing and financial responsibility of the jail handling inmate’s accounts. They usually charge a fee equal to 3-5% of the total deposit.
The companies, in alphabetical order, are:
Access Corrections
AllPaid (aka GovPayNet)
Care A Cell
Cash Bond Online
CIDNET
City Tele Coin
CommissaryDeposit.com
Correct Solutions Group
Correctpay
Ctel
Edevo
Express Account
gettingout
GTL
Inmate Canteen
InmateSales
JailATM
Jail Pack Store (McDaniel Supply)
Jailpayments.com
Jpay
NCIC
JailCanteen (Oasis)
Paytel
Pigeonly
Prodigy Sales
Reliance
Securus
Smart Communications
Tennessee Business Enterprise
Tiger
Touchpay
To send an inmate money by mail you first have to have the money converted to a money order, preferably from the US Post Office, or a Cashier’s Check. Never send cash, and never send a personal check.
To find the address for sending money to an inmate, call the jail at 760-936-0014 or check out the money deposit instructions above.
Almost every facility contracts with a company that helps friends and families of inmates send them money. The list can be found above.
To find out who San Diego Vista Detention Facility contracts with for inmate deposits, call them at 760-936-0014 or go to the top of this page for deposit instructions.
Inmate funds are the cash that an inmate has on themselves when they are booked into jail, plus the money that friends and family add while they are incarcerated. Inmate funds are also known as ‘inmate trust account’, ‘inmate commissary account’, and ‘inmate money account’.
Typically, most jails allow an innate spend no more than $300-400 per month on snacks and hygiene products, with another $300 spent on phone calls and other communication services. Some jails limit the amount an inmate can spend on snacks to as low as $100 per month, but that is rare.
To find out how much the San Diego Vista Detention Facility allows, call the jail at 760-936-0014.
Most jails limit the amount that you can send an inmate to $200 at one time. If a money order exceeds $50.00 some jails will hold the money for up to 30 days before releasing it. The quickest way to get money on an inmate’s account is to deposit it either online or over the phone with the outside vendor that the San Diego Vista Detention Facility works with.
It is not illegal for an inmate to have cash, but it is considered contraband and will be confiscated by the San Diego Vista Detention Facility if it is discovered. There could be additional punishment such as the inmate having their phone use or visitation limited. It is unlikely that criminal charges will be levied though.
Inmates are very creative in coming up with alternatives to cash for buying goods and services and taking part in gambling and other recreational activities.
• Some jails use stamps as a form of currency.
• Some use a “unit”, which is basically a candy bar, bag of chips or foil package of tuna.
• Some buy goods and services for a “tray”, which is basically a meal, especially one that contains food that may be in demand, such as “chicken on the bone”.
• Some will trade a service such as legal research, haircutting, jail artwork to send to a loved one.
• Some will agree to clean another’s cell in exchange for a candy bar or some coffee.
Basically, everything and anything can be used for trade instead of cash, but one thing is for certain, in jail, you must pay your debt. If you agree to do something when it comes to owing “money”, and you don’t pay, you may end up with a broken jaw when you least expect it.
Inmates in jail and prisoners in prisons, in lieu of cash, trade food, meals, haircuts, cell cleaning, legal research, artwork and communication credits (phone, email, etc.).
Commissaries carry every type of food imaginable:
• Cookies
• Pastries
• Candy
• Tuna and mackerel
• Coffee
• Tea
• Soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Pizza
• Hamburgers
• Chicken fingers
• Spices
Some jails have larger selections than others, and some contract with companies that ship in gift packages of food, and even fast food that can be reheated.
Prisons in Canada even have small fast-food outlets that operate within the jail.
Besides the food products mentioned above, inmates can purchase on commissary:
• hygiene products like soaps, shampoos and lotions,
• clothing like sweats, t-shirts, hoodies and sneakers,
• stationary supplies
• religious garments
• books
• televisions, radios and headphones
• movie and television programming
• educational courses
Sometimes an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase items to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $10.00 a day on commissary items, you are most likely paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Some inmates, specifically those who are targeted for being weak or are in jail for rape or child molestation, are forced to relinquish their commissary to avoid regular beatings from other inmates.
If you think your inmate is being targeted for violence or having their commissary taken to avoid beatings, contact the San Diego Vista Detention Facility and ask to investigate. If an inmate is being targeted, most jails will intervene and have the victim placed in protective custody, away from the general population.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
Inmates are allowed to have up to $500 on the books at any given time. If your deposit will put the inmate’s account over the $500 limit, your credit/debit card will only be charged the amount that takes the account to $500.
For example, if the inmate has $460 on the books and you attempt to make a $50 deposit, your credit/debit card will only be charged $40 plus the processing fee.
Call San Diego Vista Detention Facility at 760-936-0014 or click here to learn the Inmate Account deposit limits and other rules regarding depositing money on an inmate's books.
Many jails debit (charge) an inmate's commissary accounts for medical visits, any medications including over-the-counter pain reliever, jail stay fees, restitution, etc.
Taking this into consideration when deciding how much to deposit will ensure the inmate gets the amount you wanted him to have after things are deducted.
This facility does not currently charge inmates for medical visits.
A quick call to the San Diego Vista Detention Facility at 760-936-0014 will let you if the policy has recently changed.
Call the San Diego Vista Detention Facility at 760-936-0014 and ask how you can view a commissary list. This gives you an idea of what things cost the inmate and you can make an informed decision regarding how much to deposit.
The maximum deposit to an inmate’s account is $500.
Inmates at this facility are allowed to have up to $500 on their commissary accounts at any given time. If your attempted deposit amount will put the inmate over $500, your credit card will only be charged the amount that will take the account to $500.
You will receive a confirmation number by email as soon as your payment clears. The inmate also receives a notification.
Deposits are typically available 24 hours following it being processed. Deposits are processed Monday through Friday. Any deposit made after 2 p.m. is processed the following business day, which means if you make a deposit after 2 p.m. on a Friday, the funds will not be available until Monday.
Deposits are not processed on holidays.
Refunds cannot be requested by those who put money on an inmate’s books, even if you accidentally put them on the wrong inmate’s account. Double check the booking number, inmate name and deposit amount before completing the transaction.
A non-refundable service charge of $4.25 is added to all transactions.
Inmates can be permanently restricted from receiving website orders for various reasons including, but not limited to, fraudulent orders, making false claims regarding Commissary orders, etc. This permanent restriction also includes orders for inmates that are rebooked under a different booking number.
Credit cards will go through an address verification system for each transaction. Credit cards from providers without such a system will be rejected.
Inmates housed in "Pre-Arraignment" housing units will not have access to their booking accounts to purchase Commissary until they are transferred out of the unit. This could take up to seven days. They will still be able to purchase phone time. When they are transferred out of the unit, they will have full access to their account to purchase Commissary.
Not surprisingly much of an inmate's commissary money is used to purchase item's to pay gambling debts or purchase prescription medicine from another inmate. If your inmate is spending more than $3-4.00 a day on commissary items, you are paying for him or her to gamble or buy drugs.
Put your financial needs first and the inmate's second. Don't forget, the inmate is getting three free 2,000 calorie meals a day. The food may not be of the highest quality, but the commissary food is generally much less nutritious.
Click here to view the jail website for additional information.
